Skied there Feb 2-4, 2016. Conditions fair to good to very good on-piste. Did over 25,000m vertical, no line-ups; wide open. A few minor rocks here and there off-piste, firm but not icy. 13cm on Feb.6 would have made it good all over. Did 10 days there last season; no complaints, excellent conditions, well managed.

Marmot Basin Ratings

Access: 2.7

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day &ndash; you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Marmot Basin.

Public Transport: 3.7

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Marmot Basin, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Scenery: 4.7

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Accommodation: 3.4

(1) No places to stay in/near Marmot Basin, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 2.9

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 3.6

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Marmot Basin.

Ski in/Ski out: 1.8

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.6

(1) There are no child care facilities at Marmot Basin, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowsure: 3.5

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Marmot Basin is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Snowmaking: 3.2

(1) Marmot Basin relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.2

(1) There are no snow groomers at Marmot Basin, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Marmot Basin are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.9

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Marmot Basin is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 1.9

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Marmot Basin, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.6

(1) Marmot Basin usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.3

(1) The staff at Marmot Basin are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Marmot Basin are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 4.2

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.1

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.6

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Variety of pistes: 4.5

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Marmot Basin has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Beginners: 3.9

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.2

(1) No intermediate terrain at Marmot Basin, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.1

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.4

(1) Not even a kicker at Marmot Basin, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Off-piste: 3.6

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Cross-country: 2.4

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Marmot Basin, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 1.1

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Marmot Basin has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 2.5

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 2.6

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.3

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 2.7

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.2

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.2

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.1

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.4

(1) Overall, Marmot Basin is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.3

(1) Overall, Marmot Basin is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Very skied out. No new snow in quite some time. Coverage at the top is very hard with rocks exposed.

January 20, 2014Shred the Gnar already from United States

I have spent a considerable amount of time snowboarding through various parts of Canada and Marmot Basin is one of my top 3 hills out of them all.

On a powder day, the tree runs are heaven and when you're not so lucky the hill is always making snow and the runs are groomed well.

I have to concur with the older comments as well. Mid-week you have some runs entirely to yourself. Nice big carves here I come.

I wish I did the park, because theirs looks pretty stellar.

Watch for the flat spots on some of the black diamond runs and you will have yourself an amazing day!

Considering the issue that many ski hills, all over the world, are faced with changing weather conditions and lack of snow, and the fact that some still haven't even opened, you can skip past what the guy below me has written.

Weather and snow isn't just relative to Jasper and if you do your due diligence and check the conditions before you go ski anywhere then you will not be disappointed. Unless, of course, you're just the type of person who can't be satisfied, and I saw lots of those type of people on a windy day when I was up there on Wed. Hurricane strength winds are enough to close anything down so I wasn't surprised. Again, it's a nature of the sport. Not everyday can be an epic day! But the guest services staff were super friendly and honest about the situation. They gave me a voucher for a coffee to wait it out and when the Eagle started running they sold us afternoon tickets and let us head up early. Some complainers even got snow vouchers, I would never, personally, ever think of trying to get my money back for something that is out of everyones control, but I guess these are tight times??!!

Still found some sweet powder through the trees on my wind day so life was good.

Thanks Marmot. I think you guys rock and your staff are doing a brilliant job.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...oi oi oi!

January 14, 2014Sebastian from Germany

Marmot Basin: a 'once in a lifetime' experience?!

Marmot Basin is a little resort with good runs and few people skiing there for most of the time. It is located near Jasper and offers a great and scenic mountain view. It could be a nice, even though not a cheap experience. It could … but the two days of skiing did not totally satisfy me.

I headed out to Marmot Basin on a cloudy day looking forward to a great powder day. I rented my skis and bought the ticket. I then headed out to find most of the lifts closed. Only a flat school run was open. If you enjoy skiing on a hill as steep as the Great Plains, that's the place to go. Weather is always part of the game and strong winds are troublesome for any chair lift. No question about that. So I can see that point of closing the lifts.

But: I felt like having bought a ticket for a cruise and then finding myself on a boring one-day boat trip. And yes, I was quite disappointed. The cashier sold me a full day pass, knowing that most of the lifts were closed at that time.

One chair lift opened shortly before midday, which made at least some black runs with great powder accessible but still leaving most of the mountain closed. All in all, not worth the money I paid for the pass.

I decided to head out to the guest service the next morning to see what could be done about that. I was then referred to come back in the afternoon to talk to the manager. When I got there for a second time I was blocked off by one of the cashiers: 'I should have come yesterday and normally they don't grant a refund or anything etc.. Now you know that for the next time'. Is that what you call a good guest service?

Well, I don't! Every governmental agency has a better costumer service than Marmot Basin.

It's kinda creepy selling a full priced ticket, knowing that most of the mountain is shut down at that time (and will remain shut down throughout the day). And it's even bolder if the manager isn't even ready to take the complaint the next day and think about any kind of compensation. Poor performance on that!

So … yes, Marmot Basin truly was a 'once in a lifetime' experience. I am disappointed by the poor guest service and the poor experience I paid a lot of money for. One thing is for sure: I'll never come again and I cannot recommend that resort to anybody. Take the extra miles and head for Lake Louise, Revelstoke, Golden or some of the other awesome resorts fairly close by. You will definitely enjoy it a lot more.

If you want to pay more for less: Marmot Basin is the place to go.

Out of 5 stars I will award 2.
Deducting 3 each for:
- poor day of skiing w/ most lifts closed and w/o any compensation.
- disappointing guest service, not worth it's name.
- ticket prices slightly over the top for the experience the resort has to offer.

November 22, 2011Tedshred from Canada

Great hill. Smaller than Lake Louise with similar terrain. Lack of midweek crowds makes for amazing storm days with pow galore and no lines. Many rocks though all season. Worst 'on hill' food of any hill I have ever been to. Bring your own food or get sick and poop your pants.

February 27, 2011JT - Coventry from United Kingdom

I've just returned from skiing Marmot Basin, 16th-23rd February. This was my first trip outside Europe and I have to say how impressed I was with both the facilities and conditions at the resort. It's main advantage over Europe (particularly this season) is the superb snow and lack of crowds. Although there was little precipitation during my time there, the snow on the pistes (and off it) was plentiful and in great condition. The lifts were not crowded at all. Even at the weekend, although busier, the queues were not unacceptable. Although a long drive from Calgary (allow 5-6 hours), the views to be had along the ice field parkway were truly stunning, and made for a pleasant journey to and from the resort town of Jasper, where I stayed. Accommodation was courtesy of the Chateau Jasper hotel on Geicke Street. The rooms were impressively large and comfortable, with a nice indoor pool and hot tub. I cannot comment on the hotel restaurant as I chose to dine in the town every morning for breakfast, and evening for dinner. The ski rental equipment was provided by the Totem Mens Wear & Ski Shop, who gave excellent service and offered a good range of gear at good value for money - thanks to Victor and his colleagues! All in all, a great trip and I will certainly return to North America for more skiing - I'm hooked!

December 13, 2010CaptainZenon from Canada

I grew up in Edmonton, a short 3.5 hr drive from Marmot (Marmot Basin). I have skied there no less than 150 days in the last 35 or so years I've been skiing (since 3yr old). In a good snow year (500cm+), there is arguably no better place to ski. Someone else mentioned fresh tracks for a week, it's true, it's not busy, except holidays and usually weekends. The new Crex chair has altered the way the morning flows for me. You used to have to ride 2 chairs to get up to the Triple Face and the Triple is so slow and lines were long, no problem now. You can get a Triple Face face shot run after a storm if you get there early, I mean like first 30 chairs max. If you miss the fresh run there, head to the Eagle Ridge chair for the next chance for fresh, usually open by 9:30ish unless blasting.
If you get the timing right, the glorious Eagle East opens around 10 on a fresh day, after avy bombing of course.
Fresh lines in Eagle East are hard to beat anywhere in the worl, try Easter Alley or Sugar Bowl and see.
Don't get greedy and go too far skiers right, make sure you watch for the signs, and you won't have to walk out as one person said. After a lap in Eagle East I usually watch for the Knob chair to start turning. Most of the knob is high alpine but following the ridge lines you get deep wind deposits along the shrubs and small trees. Knob Hill is a great fall line, as is short skate over to Charlie's bowl and Dupree chutes for 59 degree blown in deepness (2 to 3 times the morning report)on a fresh day.
Hesitantly, I will mention Caribou knoll, I won't tell you where it is, ask a local, if you are not a gaper they will happily tell you.
Enjoy Marmot and follow this order for at least 3 fresh runs guaranteed on even the busiest of pow days.

May 04, 2010Juan from Australia

Marmot (Marmot Basin) would be a great little hill if it ever snowed there. This year we had about 15 powder days for the whole season. Most of which where in the the first 3 weeks.

When it snows here you get great powder. But when does it ever snow? and that sums up the hill. It could be awesome but it is not. There really is only one chair lift. The rest are so slow and old, not to mention pretty much go to nowhere.

The hill also seems to be operated badly. Considering the Jasper National Park has given them a monopoly it would be nice to see a few Canadians working there. The town of Jasper had to put on community dinners as the hill doesn't pay their staff enough money to eat.

Speaking of the food it is disgusting and dangerous. They are so tight you get half a piece of bacon on the "famous Mc Ski". The pizza taste like its been there for days and most likely has. The fries are cooked twice. The beer is 6.50 a pint and comes in a plastic cup. Eat and drink in the carpark people.

It costs more for a season pass here at Marmot Basin than at mountain 4 times its size. Why?.

The mountain itself has some pretty good runs. The knob chair needs replacement but never change the name. Eagles East is pretty sweet with some killer chutes same for the Knob. During the week here it's dead so if you ever get any snow you will be hitting fresh tracks for a week.

It is way too small. They need to open up more terrain off the backside of the mountain. They blame parks for this but it's because they're so lazy. Spend the money on the evironmental risk assessments. Come up with some solutions instead of blaming the hand that feeds you. Also if the knob chair went to the peak instead of stopping half way up you would get a lot more action. Instead of walking endlessly to get a decent run. Also if Eagle East had its own chair you would have a lot more fun as you often have to hike out if you stick to far right which is where the best chutes are.

So if the mountain got rid of the 1980's style of management, put in some good lifts and spent a bit of money on the place it would be a great hill. But it won't so expect to see dodgy lifts dodgy food and a complete lack of Canadains working on this hill. Well in all the low paying jobs anyway. Have fun keep boarding.

December 07, 2009Vickster from Canada

OK True Story:
I was going up the new C-REX at Marmot Basin. At mid-mountain I see my friends below on the slopes. I yell to them, but they do not hear me.
So, at the top I decide to board down and catch them by going up the Paradise Chair. (I should be able to yell across at them as they go up the C-REX)
As I am about 1/2 way up the Paradise chair I see them come into view. (This is after I watch countless chairs go by me over on the new lift.)
I yell across and we make a plan to meet in the upper chalet. I am STILL on the Paradise chair when I see my friends exit the lift, then skiing down Highway 16! Wahhhhhhh!
I am ALL for the new chair. Su's right...longer runs = more time ON the mountain and less on the lift! Yeah for the C-REX